Secondary IF

Second opinion- Nervous/excited

hoping4more — Thu, 23 May 2013 15:59:28 GMT

We decided to do an IVF consult in March 2012 at a bigger clinic and then when the surrogacy worked we took a break. I then lost a bunch of weight and went back to my smaller local clinic. I then got pregnant and miscarried from Clomid/metformin alone.

So here I am back trying again this cycle with clomid/met/bravelle/a few other things. I put a re-referral into the big clinic as I want a second opinion and we will be moving closer to there in July. This big clinic does IVF (my local one does not) as well as iui, etc and is quite well known as one of the best in Canada. I am hopeful but also hoping we can try something and find success (superovulation maybe?) before going straight to IVF as it is not covered. I am also hoping we can apply for the assistance fund and see if that can help us.

I got the call from them today with a few dates they can see us so I have to discuss with DH and pick one. The doctor who saw us for IVF consult is willing to see us again which is great since the clinic has several REs (I have not met any others but heard reviews from others) and this RE has a good bedside manner and sense of humor.

I also had to laugh when they asked if my DH was still the partner i would be cycling with. I guess they needed to know for a new SA and I suppose people do get re-married, etc but I just had to laugh at it.

Anyway that is where we are at, thanks for the support ladies!

Thank you everyone!

Iloveshanej — Thu, 23 May 2013 15:56:24 GMT

Thank you all for your wonderful support! It means so much to me!

Progesterone questions

tryingyetagain — Thu, 23 May 2013 21:24:40 GMT

I battled with my RE on the phone yesterday after asking him if he could prescribe progesterone to keep me from shedding my lining early each month (I spotted for 11 days this cycle before AF arrived). He is NOT a believer in progesterone. So now I have some questions, and am hoping some of you can help.

My RE said progesterone "absolutely" will not help me with implantation, and he said there are no medical studies to prove otherwise. I find this hard to believe, since so many women are prescribed progesterone by their doctors to help with lining issues/low progesterone/implantation/maintaining pregnancy. For those of you who were prescribed progesterone, did you have to convince your doctor, or were they already believers of progesterone supplementation?

Also, he said suppositories were "disgusting" (his words), and he didn't want to prescribe them. He said he would be willing to prescribe progesterone that is placed inside with an applicator. Anyone have info on these two forms, and which might actually be more effective (messiness aside)?

Thanks for any info you can provide.

Think thick!!

Kaselleck — Thu, 23 May 2013 15:31:32 GMT

I'm scared to death for my lining check tomorrow. I can't handle being cancelled another time. I'm terrified it's not going to grow or is going to shrink. Please send my uterus some thick and fluffy vibes. I'm going to acupuncture today and am trying evey hollistic option in the book vitamin b, wheat germ, red raspberry leaf yea, heating pad, you name it in addition to my protocol.

My goal is for my lining to get to a 7 for transfer in a little over two weeks. For me, a 7 is amazing!!!

I hope it's improving as I type. Thanks, ladies!

BFN and potential break

Jen071407 — Thu, 23 May 2013 12:09:05 GMT

14dpo and BFN this morning so I guess I'm just waiting on af. Having a hard time trying to decide what our next step will be. Part of me just wants to stop all of this emotional madness, but the rest of me knows I will regret not trying everything possible. I also just made plans with my family to take my girls to the cabin...only after I realized we will be gone right at O time. DH is a 1st year resident and can't take time off so we would be apart. I hate that ttc controls so much of what we do, and I don't want my daughters to miss out on fun because of it. Ugh. Next wtf appt is June 4th. Sorry this morphed into a bit of a vent!

CD8 scan

TripMomma — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:26:28 GMT

Been on a break since our Dec. IUI didn't work, today is cd8 for me...things are looking good. I am on 75 daily of Gonal F. Now I have 3 note worthy follies on my L- 11mm, 11mm, 10mm ... and 3 on my R- 10mm, 9mm, 8mm. Lining was 7.2, triple pattern, and my E2 came back at 371. He feels my left 3 will probably be the ones in play. I hope the right 3 peter out, we will have to cancel if we get more than 3 follies...and prefer just 2. I go back on Saturday for another scan.

So frustrated with RE right now

tryingyetagain — Wed, 22 May 2013 21:26:14 GMT

This is not a good week for dealing with REs apparently...

DH and I have decided to only TTC for three more cycles, so I called the RE today to order another round of Letrozole (AF came today), and talk to him about being more aggressive (short of IVF, which we can't afford). He never ran any initial testing on either one of us (weird, I know), and just put me on Letrozole straight away in January. But since we still haven't gotten pregnant, shouldn't it be a valid question that maybe I should have some bloodwork done? I also wanted to ask him to let me try progesterone this cycle, to keep me from shedding my lining early.

I put him on speaker so DH and I could both talk to him. He basically told me I was old and at the end of my efforts, and he didn't want to just "find" a diagnosis for me. He said, "you already have plenty of them and giving you another one won't help you get pregnant." WTF?!! I said, "Just so we're clear, I am not looking for a diagnosis. What I want is to figure out if there is something keeping me from getting pregnant, and figure it out and fix it."

He begrudgingly agreed to order a TSH test (because I specifically asked about it), and even more begrudgingly agreed to give me a Rx for progesterone. I have only called them 2-3 times with questions in four months, so it's not like I'm a total hypochondriac that is driving them crazy.

I sobbed when I got off the phone. I have been really depressed a lot lately, and this just made me feel worse. Like I am just some old lady who is not worth helping. And we have an HMO, so there is no switching doctors for us (unless we want to go OOP, which we can't). Ugh!!

DH said, "Wouldn't it be awesome if we got pregnant next cycle after starting the progesterone, and he could eat his words!" Yeah! I sure hope so! Sorry for my long vent.

Another RE vent

slstine19 — Thu, 23 May 2013 01:29:45 GMT

I thought I would be starting my cycle. However, after I went to the RE and they did my bloodwork they called me and told me I wouldn't be starting one today because either the HSG or sonogram came back abnormal. I took this test 2 weeks ago and they said everything looked fine. I have had no contact from them in the last 2 weeks. If I knew I had to make another appt to see the dr I would've done that and not even bothered getting up and going in before work today.

This happened with my last cycle also. They said I could start, got up early and went in early to do bloodwork. Later that day they said I had to do the HSG, sonogram, and a endometrial biopsy. When I scheduled it they said they don't normally do the biopsy with the others and I did not have to have it done.

I also found out the place they are calling in my meds is not where the insurance wants it to go. Difference of about $800, thankfully the pharmacy is very ethical and made me aware of this. They were willing to fill it, but wanted me to know upfront and were honest. They were a little frustrated because they spent about 4 hours doing the research and if the RE would've called to tell them my cycle was cancelled then they would not have wasted their time also. THANKS for listening.

Anyone up for an exchange?

AprilDrew04 — Fri, 17 May 2013 04:17:42 GMT

In the fall we did a sock exchange, but summer months many of us ditch the socks...or at least I do. Last spring we did a gem exchange. Flip flops was mentioned, but many didn't like that idea. I think it would be fun to do a nail polish exchange.

Any thoughts or other suggestions?

I would be happy to put it together - I need something to keep me busy while I wait for another cycle to pass me by.

Got SA #s back...devasted :(

mrsransom — Mon, 20 May 2013 00:59:03 GMT

Update...I got the #s back & it couldn't get much worse! Count was only 1.4 million, and the kicker is that out of this small amount, only 1% were grade 3 sperm (vigorous but random)...0% were grade 4 (vigorous & straight). 78% of his sperm did not move at all! So, only 1% of such a small count can even result in pregnancy.

I am so devastated. I don't even know if this is fixable to the point that we could be successful! The only thing that give me a small amount of hope is the fact that we have a child on our own, although it took a long time. No idea how we got so lucky with these kind of #s!! He is going to call tomorrow to make an appointment with the urologist. I'm hopeful that we can figure out what's causing this & that there is a way to fix it!

If anyone else has any experience with such low numbers & motility, I'd love to hear about it. I feel so lucky to have DS & I will be happy if he is all I ever have, but I'd love just one more. It breaks my heart every time I hear him say he wants a little brother or sister! :(

Still hope??

Sarah10612 — Wed, 22 May 2013 16:02:20 GMT

I tested today (of course I got super anxious) and it was a BFN. I am only 9dpiui. Do you think there is still a chance?? This roller coaster ride is all over the place and so are my emotions. :(

Feeling a little better...

Iloveshanej — Wed, 22 May 2013 12:31:27 GMT

today! I realized that I can't change what's happened but I can change doctors. The doctor I'm seeing tomorrow is going to do a full work up and all though it is starting over, it will give us a fresh start. This doctor comes highly recommended and seems as though she wants to do everything she can to help. I still haven't started a true AF so they will recheck my betas and also check for a UTI. I am actually excited despite everything that has happened. Thank you so much for all your support ladies! I'm not sure I would feel so much better today without your wonderful help!

At home Inseminations

nicolecoy — Tue, 21 May 2013 18:27:19 GMT

Anyone ever done a at home insemination? I know it sounds super crazy but I just happened to run across an article about it yesterday and then I googled it and read several success stories. I had my first IUI Jan 24, 2013 and it was successful but it was ectopic. Its been a long struggle, I had a d&c and a few doses of methotrexate and finally last week I got the call I had been dreaming if, my hcg was below 2 and I was back to "normal". They said I am able to try again next month which is great but there were alot of costs involved with this ectopic that I would love to pay off before I pay all that money out again for an IUI. So I was just wondering if anyone had ever done or know someone who has done a at home insemination.

Beta # 2

huskermama — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:02:18 GMT

Well, the results are finally in and everything continues to look positive for now. Numbers more than tripled and went from 113 on Sunday morning to 353 today. Excited, but still so nervous and wondering when I'm going to wake up from this dream.

Will have have one more beta and an u/s on 6/3 (one day after my 30th birthday) so hoping for a good present and that we can see baby! :)

Thank you all again for your support and encouragement. For now I'll be cautiously moving over to PGAIF, but I will check here often and hope there are a lot more BFP's to come!

Forced break - this blows!

Sharon216 — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:24:07 GMT

Well, if's official. RE doesn't want to do IVF this cycle while I have a "residual follicle" (see previous post). They want to give us best shot for success, which I get, but it's extremely frustrating to have to wait another month. Why can't my stupid body just cooperate?

Good thing I just stocked up on wine.

Horrible update!

Iloveshanej — Tue, 21 May 2013 18:06:42 GMT

My beta was 7. The doctor was unwilling to discuss anything with me and told me to consider myself not pregnant. F it all. I'm going to take some meds and sleep. My parents are going to watch my daughter. I am done. I give up. F the pregnancy tests I took, F the doctor, F the world and most of all F SIF!!!!

Thank you for all your support. I'm not sure if I will be around for a while.

Boosters?

hoping4more — Tue, 21 May 2013 22:49:29 GMT

I have read a few places about ladies taking booster hcg shots after IUI in the 2WW. I didn't ask my RE about this but any idea why? Can someone explain this to me?

Hello/Intro & Other Confusing Stuff

smileystef — Mon, 20 May 2013 00:40:39 GMT

I've read this board on and off for the past two years as I've been trying for #2, and I'm finally posting something now. Anyway, hello there everyone. I have an awesome 4 year old daughter who loves babies and is always asking for a sibling. I got pregnant on my first IUI, but then lost it at 9 or 10 weeks. Then got an infection from the D&C. Next IUI was a negative. Lately though, I've been having trouble with cysts. I had to cancel a cycle last month for a cyst, and then this month there was a small cyst at my day 3 ultrasound.

Here's where I'm confused. Today, at my day 7 ultrasound, there were two 19 mm things. I've been taking gonal-f to stimulate. The ultrasound tech thought one was a cyst and one was a follicule. But the doctor thought they were both follicules. So now I'm triggering on day 7, with an IUI on day 9. Anyone ever have a disappearing cyst and a super fast cycle? I just don't get my body sometimes.

Monitor today

Kaselleck — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:39:59 GMT

So I had my fluid aspirated this morning. After nine days of protocol, my lining is a whopping 5.7. I feel this is thinner than last cycle. I'm not doing acupuncture as much but my doctor said its not a big deal. I feel so anxious and like I should be doing acupuncture more but it's expensive and time consuming. I can't wait until my nurse calls to talk to her. I didn't even ask my doctor if he was concerned at this point bc I was so nervous to be aspirated. I hate this so much. I'm terrified I won't even make it to transfer.

Uugghhhh. IF can suck it today.

Anxious but not feeling

Iloveshanej — Tue, 21 May 2013 12:14:07 GMT

hopeful! My spotting has picked up but isn't much unless I go to the bathroom. It is mostly dark but sometimes a little brighter. I wish I could be happy with the BFP I got yesterday but this makes it hard. I'm anxiously waiting to hear from the doctor but I'm worried this will be over before it really gets started. I wish I could just sleep until the office calls but I can't. The bleeding doesn't look or feel like period or m/c blood if that makes sense. It's different like what I had with my DD but I am so discouraged. I'm not cramping much except in my low right back some. Almost like a really bad urinary tract infection. I'm praying hard. I'm not sure we can handle another m/c after the one at the end of January. I wish I could be like one of those women who gets a BFP, celebrates, tells the world and has no issues or complications. I kept waking up last night to see if i was bleeding. My period was whacky and somewhat light last month. Could that be the cause of the bleeding? I'm questioning everything and I need get off Google. Ugh! Sorry to vent and thanks for listening.

2IF Weekly Update

tryingyetagain — Sun, 19 May 2013 00:39:38 GMT

I am so happy that we have more BFPs to celebrate this week! Congrats to Leigh517, Cislebride07, Mlamping, and Huskermama! (I hope I didn't miss anyone, but please let us know if I did.) We look forward to hearing updates from all of you, as well as from other 2IF graduates. A few of us are in the 2ww, and hopefully there will be more congrats in order as the week goes on. Thoughts and prayers to all of those who are struggling.

Please give everyone a summary of your 2IF history, as well as your current situation.

QOTW: What home project have you completed (or are about to start) that you are especially excited about?

Residual follicle??

Sharon216 — Tue, 21 May 2013 11:57:52 GMT

I just went for my baseline appt and the nurse said they will most likely not let me proceed this month. I have a "huge" residual follicle (22 mm). I don't understand how that happens, especially when last month was a break cycle. The nurse I saw this morning (not one of my favorites) didn't seem to know what was going on. She said they'll check my estrogen level and call me this afternoon after she meets with my RE.

I'm beyond frustrated. Re-cap: It took a long time to decide to do IVF, then a few months to get our finances figured out. Our first attempt was canceled because I didn't stimulate. We settled for an IUI (our 6th), which didn't work and were forced to take a break before starting again. AF arrived on Sunday and I was really excited to get things moving again, only to find out this cycle might be another bust. WTF? Why is there a random leftover follicle hanging around???

ARGH!!

Anyone else starting an IVF cycle this week?

Sharon216 — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:44:49 GMT

We didn't make it to egg retrieval our first time around so I'm really hoping this protocol works. AF came yesterday and I'm going for my baseline appt tomorrow. I'll start Chlomid on Thursday and Follistim on Sunday.

Spotting ?

Jen071407 — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:38:47 GMT

Hi all! Quick update, I'm 11dpo, bfn yesterday, and have had brown spotting since 7dpo, which happens like clockwork for me regardless of the 100mg 2x a day of progesterone suppositories. They don't truly think I have a LPD, so any insight in why I, and I'm sure others, are so lucky to deal with bleeding for two weeks every month? No fibroids, no cysts, no polyps, just awesome spotting. Could it be related to a lining issue? I had a 6c lining on cd12 if it matters. Thanks ladies!

iloveshanej

KKDRAGONFLY — Mon, 20 May 2013 23:54:32 GMT

I just wanted to say I'm praying for you.
And I think you should find a new Dr. You need people who are super supportive and want you to have a baby. They sound apathetic.
Hugs!